The present invention relates to carbapenem derivatives of the following formula (I) and a preparation method thereof. The carbapenem derivatives can be used as antibiotics since they have excellent antibacterial activities. 
wherein X is carbonyl or sulfonyl group, R1 and R2 are hydrogen, low alkyl or aliphatic cyclic alkyl groups and when R1 is hydrogen, R2 is hydrogen, methyl, hydroxyethyl or allyl group and when R1 is methyl R2 is methyl, hydroxyethyl or allyl group; or R1 and R2 taken together with a nitrogen atom to which they are attached, is a heterocyclic group such as pyrrolidinyl, morpholinyl and piperidinyl group.
The commercially available carbapenem antibiotics so far include thienamycin and imipenem as described in the literature (J. Antibiot., 1979, 32, 1). However, these compounds can be degraded by human renal enzyme (renal dehydropeptidase I, DHP-I) and lose their activity. 